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Corey Taylor, James Root, Josh Rand and Roy Mayorga aren’t afraid of trying something new. And that’s just what they did with House of Gold & Bones Pt 1 & 2. Taylor (who also fronts another Iowa-based hard rock band, Slipknot) wrote all 23 tracks for Stone Sour‘s latest two-part series, the first of which hit stores in October.

As if two discs aren’t enough, this release offers a twist. Accompanying the dual disc set is a four-issue comic book series, a graphic novel and if the singer has his way, a screenplay. According to Taylor, the two albums are meant to be played back to back, creating a cohesive, linear story.

Adding yet another dynamic to the release, the guys would call on Rachel Bolan, songwriter and bassist for ’80s hair-metal legends Skid Row.

“For a band like us, we’re very aware of his body of work,” explained Taylor in an interview with Radio.com. “I think Rachel is one of the most underrated bass players out there.”

“We had a couple of guys’ names,” recalls guitarist Josh Rand, who went on to explain that the person originally lined up for the bass fell through due to scheduling conflicts. After going down a wish-list of names, he and Taylor arrived at Bolan.

Rand explained that he’d been thinking of Bolan the whole time.

“I love the (Skid Row) album Slave to The Grind. Everything that everybody’s mentioning about what they want out of the bass, he’s done in one record. So I asked everyone, ‘what if we asked Rachel Boland to come in?'” Taylor proceeded to track down his number and phone him the very next day.

“Absolute Zero,” the first single from House of Gold & BonesPart 1, sets up the comic’s main character. “Zero” raced up the modern rock charts and held the position for weeks, a testament to Taylor and crew’s ability to produce thought-provoking and catchy metal riffs. After watching the video for “Absolute Zero,” one YouTube commenter said, “How the hell am I supposed to see the video when I can’t stop headbanging?!”

House of Gold & Bones Part 1 is available now while Part 2 is expected this Spring. The House of Gold & Bones comic book series is now available for pre-sale.

Tickets are now available for Stone Sour’s co-headlining tour with Papa Roach via Ticketmaster.